2019 Writers Guild Awards by Janell Martin

Sunday, February 19th the 2019 Writers Guild Awards were held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The gorgeous venue was a classy background for this prestigious awards ceremony. At any awards show, it’s always fun to see and meet famous stars, Ron Howard and Bradley Cooper were in attendance, but for me, meeting the talented people behind the scenes is just as rewarding. As a novel and screenplay writer myself, when I get the chance to cover an event where other writers are in attendance, I leap at the opportunity. The Writers Guild Awards cover everything from film to TV, to children’s programming to video games; basically, any medium where a writer’s words are the backbone of artistic creation was celebrated and honored this night.

While the guests dined on ‘Wild Herbed Roasted Chicken and Mushroom Risotto’ or enjoyed a ‘Vegan Moussaka’ while sipping on their Chardonnay, an array of funny and heartfelt acceptance speeches ruled the evening. It’s always exciting when the winners are shows or movies that you are rooting for, so I was thrilled that the TV series ‘The Americans’ was a winner again this year, and that ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’ was triumphant as well. Watching talented people enjoy the spoils of victory, is truly an inspirational adventure. And when Mr. ‘Puddles Pity Party’ the clown sang while a video ran in the back, he was so funny people laughed out loud, especially when he finished with a reminder that the WGA’s member dues were used to pay him for his participation in the program. Overall, it was a wonderful evening shining a light on the beauty and power of the written word.